WASHINGTON - Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly is defending President Donald Trump's proposed budget cuts, even as he tells Congress that the United States "cannot invest too much in security" after recent terrorist attacks in Europe.

Trump proposed a budget last month that would cut nearly $700 million from grant programs for local first responders. Overall, Homeland Security would face a reduction of 3.2 percent.

House Republicans and Democrats on Wednesday raised concerns about the proposed cuts.

Rep. Bennie Thompson, the top Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee, says local communities in his home state of Mississippi say they're not sure they'll be able to keep residents safe if the cuts go through.

Kelly says the president's budget recognizes current fiscal realities as well as serious threats the nation faces each day.